A Tale Rewritten
by PinkGray
Summary: History is a set of lies agreed upon. Sakura, in the process of reteaching his 'history' to an amnesic Itachi, cannot agree more. What he doesn't know though, is that her version, comprised of civilian life and peace, is the biggest lie yet. ItaSaku. AU.
1. Prologue

_You are the patron saint of lost causes;  
Aren't we all to you lost, lost causes? _

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**ARC ONE - PROLOGUE**

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Sakura knew as soon as the words slipped from her mouth that this was probably the worst idea she'd ever had the misfortune of actually executing. It was an odd sight to the twenty-two year old jounin to see the fearsome man don such a curious look of cluelessness on his patrician features. All the fear and suspicion had long since melted from her at this point, and all that remained was the anxiety that arose whenever her thoughts wandered to the possible consequences of her actions. But she had no time for that now; seventeen years of training, honing and moulding dwindled down to _this_ moment. She couldn't afford to screw it up now.

"Itachi!" she gasped, bursting into the room with much vigour and relief. "Oh thank god, I thought I'd never find you!"

The three occupants of the small, cozy room turned around sharply at her entrance. The elderly woman to the left narrowed her eyes upon surveying Sakura's features, and the younger, no doubt her daughter, standing on the far right, seemed indifferent. It did not escape Sakura's notice that though the latter didn't seem to oppose her presence, she neither welcomed it, for she had moved to hover a little closer to the man sandwiched between mother and daughter as soon as her eyes caught sight of Sakura.

Sakura, channelling her inner civilian, hesitated at her spot. She supposed their presences would be a little daunting to the average civilian, friendly as the house had seemed from the outside.

"You are Sakura?" the mother snapped.

"Yes," Sakura replied, flinching at the harsh tone. "Can I – I mean, _may _I, I mean..._Itachi_?"

Her practiced look of despair must've looking convincing, as the younger woman's features softened, and her tension seemed to ease just slightly. When she spoke, her voice was soft like a whisper. "I'm sorry, Sakura-san...but he has amnesia."

"Amnesia?" Sakura blinked, while inconspicuously venturing forwards a few more steps. "You mean...memory loss?"

"Exactly."

By this time, Sakura had already treaded up towards the trio standing awkwardly. Tentatively, she reached a hand towards the man, aiming slowly at his face. When he flinched away, she fought back a sigh of relief – every step she took here was a step on breaking ice, and actually making contact, in front of these people, would be entirely too risky. Nevertheless, she plastered on another face of disappointment, forcing her tear ducts to work overdrive.

Turning towards the women once more, she fought to keep a quiet quiver in her voice. "So he doesn't remember me at all?"

"Not just you," the mother replied, her tone noticeably softer than before. "The boy doesn't remember his own name."

"Is this permanent? How can we fix him?" Sakura blurted out through occasional sobs, knowing exactly the impossibility of each answer. "Please, help me. I _need_ him. Oh _gods_."

"I'm sorry, Sakura-san!" the younger woman repeated, a real mask of pity colouring her features now. "There's nothing we can do but wait and see how it goes."

"...How long?"

"We found him about three weeks ago."

"Oh," Sakura breathed, and in her pause let her emeralds flicker uncertainly around the room, absorbing as much of her surroundings as possible. She was now thankful for all those times Kakashi had 'volunteered' her to be their civilian decoy; acting the part of an oblivious idiot was bounds harder than it seemed, especially under the scrutiny of her present company. A few seconds slipped by in the silence that engrossed them, before she let her eyes drift back until they settled finally on the trio standing before her.

"I..." she started, snowy white teeth flashing as she bit her lips, a practiced act of nervousness. "I don't know how to thank you. I have money for you – it might not be much, but it's the most I could muster at the moment."

"Don't be silly, girl," the older woman snapped, and Sakura jolted in surprise. "We don't save people for money. What kind of people would we be, stealing a young couple's money? Do we _look_ like the daimyo?"

Sakura forced a laugh at this. "No, I guess not."

"The biggest favour you could do for us is to take care of the boy," she finished, and in place of the harsh tones, an almost motherly-voice echoed. "But I guess we don't need to tell you that, eh?"

Sakura froze mid-action, hand halfway towards Itachi, whose features had suddenly contorted into a vision of painful uncertainty, and, she thought curiously, _fear_. Sakura offered no reply to the woman, a stricken look washing over her as she twisted her tear-stained face away from the man.

The daughter felt her own eyes prickle at the scene unfolding before her, and in a soft act of kindness, pushed Itachi towards her gently. "Go on, she's the only family you've got."

Sakura, pretending to be preoccupied in her rather apocalyptic thoughts regarding her 'fiance', nearly yelped with surprise when she felt his icy touch on her skin. Mildly uncomfortable was hardly enough to describe the expression written across his patrician features; Itachi looked downright awkward. Sakura couldn't help but marvel again at the difference it made in his countenance, and secretly, her subconscious anticipated that at any moment, a deadly scowl would spread across his features, an even deadlier jutsu at his fingertips.

But no such thing happened, and she saw clearly in his charcoal eyes the inner battle he waged, before he finally muttered a quiet, "Your name is Sakura?"

Another choked gasp escaped her then, as she tried to keep the tears flowing. "Yes."

"We are…?"

"_Engaged_," she whispered, turning her face away again, away from his careful scrutiny. In actuality, it made her uneasy to face him; even in his disoriented state, his piercing eyes held a quality that had her doubting the believability of her acting. In any case, it fit with the massive, dangerous game of charades she had put herself in.

She felt, rather than saw him absorb this information. She allowed herself a few more seconds before turning back once more to face him. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above the caress of a whisper. "You're twenty-four years old. I'm nineteen. We met four years ago, and we live in a small cottage in a secluded forest a little ways from a small town called Nanamake. You don't have any family, and neither do I. Not that I have contact with, anyway," and in a voice even softer than she had just used, so soft that he had to strain his ears to hear, said, "_You're all I have left."_

It was not, however, Itachi that replied. "You came all the way from Nanamake?" the older of the two interrupted, surprise colouring her features.

"Yes. About 30 minutes south of it."

"But that's more than a day's walk from here!" her daughter gasped, and Sakura couldn't tell if it was awe or disbelief at Sakura's insanity that flushed her face.

"I don't care if I have to walk for a month," Sakura shot back with no hesitation, a fierce sort of determination lighting her brilliant eyes. "Even if he's on the other side of the world, I _will_ find him."

An awkward silence settled around them again at her declaration, and she felt her cheeks tint a light pink. Sakura's keen senses caught the subtle nod that the mother shot at her daughter, but pretended to be oblivious. The girl cleared her throat. "Well, Sakura-san," she smiled, literally clearing away the pregnant air with her soft words. "You two are more than welcome to stay here until tomorrow morning, seeing how it's already 3. It'll be dangerous for you guys to start out now. You must be exhausted, and Sh- I mean, Itachi-san is still recovering from some lingering injuries."

Sakura bit her lips. "I wouldn't want to impose on your hospitality any longer, and besides..." she snuck a glazed glance up at the stoic man, her hand inching its way to softly rest on his arm. "I'm sorry if this is terribly rude of me, but I actually just really, _really_ want to be home, with Itachi."

"But-"

"We understand, Sakura-san," her mother interrupted, understanding washing over her greying features.

Sakura replied with a genuinely relieved smile as she thanked the duo once more for their hospitality and attention to Itachi. "I don't know what would've happened to Itachi if you hadn't shown up..." Sakura trailed off, a look that could only be described as remembrance washing over her features. "Where did you find him, anyway? I've been looking for him for weeks without any luck!"

"He was lying in a pool of blood – mostly dried, by the time we got there – but blood nonetheless, in the uncharted forest between here and town-"at her words, Sakura blanched. Junko, the mother, pitied the poor girl, but forged on regardless. "-When we saw him, we thought he was dead. It was only because he made the faintest of noises that Ai here realized he was still alive."

At her words, Sakura turned to Ai and offered her a deeply humbled bow. "Thank you so much... It must have been a terribly gruesome sight, and to carry him home in that state, _oh god-_" Sakura sobbed, voice hitching. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper. "Thank you, thank you for not giving up on his life."

With a soft smile, Ai placed a gentle hand on Sakura's shoulder, guiding her up once more. "Take care, Sakura-san," turning towards Itachi, her eyes softened even more, moist with unshed tears. "You take care too, Itachi-san. We can rest assured knowing that you have someone who cares for you as much as Sakura-san does. Won't you visit us in the future?"

Itachi assured her that he would definitely visit in the future. Sakura, watching the exchange was more than relieved – Itachi was obviously much more at ease with the young woman than he was with her, which was not necessarily a bad thing. It meant her plan had the potential to succeed – if he could be comfortable with such unassuming people, she would do everything in her power to become his most trusted person. It relieved her, at least, to have unrelenting proof that this was no longer _the_ Uchiha Itachi, infamous and cruel.

At the moment, he was no more than a blank sheet of paper, ready for her to create pretty tales of a peaceful life.

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**note:** short prologue, but following chapters will be much lengthier. Please leave a note if you enjoyed it! Next chapter to be up soon.


	2. Baby Steps

_If I could pull you from the wreckage,  
We'd be all fine, oh lord._

_Can't turn this one around..._

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**Chapter 1** - **Baby Steps**

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The more time she spent with him, the more she became convinced of her own stupidity.

Three hours had passed since their departure from the mother and daughter's home, and barely ten sentences had been exchanged between them. The mal-communication was certainly not from a lack of effort on Sakura's part. Every five minutes or so, she would attempt once more to strike up another conversation with the stoic man. Each time, she was met with the same thing; a short, crisp answer, and no attempt to continue conversation.

Every time, the conversation followed a pattern strikingly similar to the following:

"Are you warm enough, Itachi?" she'd ask. "You're still recovering and it's freezing today..."

"Aa. I'm fine."

Or, she'd switch gears and talk about _them_.

"We bought our house two years back," she'd say. "Actually, it's more of a little cottage than a house. But it's absolutely charming. We fell in love with it the first time we saw it."

To this type of conversation, he had less than nothing to add to it. More than fighting criminals and working through six hour surgeries, this exhausted her, especially since it seemed her chances of success were so slim.

This type of mental fatigue, coupled with her physical fatigue made for an oddly down Sakura. Of all the times, it had to be _now_, that a sudden wave of the blues would hit her. If anything, she mostly attributed it to her own inability to properly think. What was going through her mind? She had to be absolutely, certifiably insane. If she had the time to sit down for a moment, for even the briefest of moments, the reality would cause her to crash and burn.

The adrenaline high had not entirely worn off yet, or else she would realize she was waltzing through the forest with none other than Uchiha Itachi, towards their so-called life together. The life that didn't exist. The fake life that she was currently making up on the spot thanks to her one and only impromptu decision. She was Haruno Sakura. She didn't do stupid and impromptu. Naruto had that covered. She was the thinker, the planner, and the annoying conscience. So this, this whole slew of trouble she managed to dig herself into was entirely new to her.

Trying not to panic as the reality slowly set in, she took three deep breaths. In her haste to slowly work out the mess in her mind, she missed the curious glance her companion shot her.

In truth, Itachi was every bit as unnerved as her. He didn't understand what was going on, who the hell she was, or who the hell _he_ was. There was an innate distrust seated deep within him, and it only made him wonder more. Who the hell was he? Why did his gut feelings contain so much distrust, so much skepticism? But whatever it was, he had made up his mind in the last few hours to give this his best shot. Whoever she was, whatever this was, he had decided to put all caution to the wind and to trust her.

He could fathom no reason within his limited information for her to lie to him. Unless he was some high profile individual, which he seriously doubted, there would be no reason to make up such an elaborate lie. If that were the case, more people would've come looking for him, and he wouldn't have been left to a bloody pile in the middle of nowhere to die.

Right. Unconsciously, he mimicked her action, and took three deep, silent breaths. When the cool air escaped his lungs for the third time, he had steeled his determination. Turning the full intensity of his gaze to her, he initiated the conversation for the first time. "How much further?"

At the sound of his voice, she seemed so surprised that he half expected her to stop walking. When the initial shock wore off, she gave him a tentative smile with his answer. "Not much longer. There's a town up ahead, we should stop there for the night. I don't want you getting too exhausted."

He nodded, processing the information. Her attention seemed genuine enough, but he couldn't help but notice the air of nervousness around her. For now, he would attribute it to being in his memory-less presence, but he made a mental note of it. When the town came into view a while later, the sun had already set beyond the horizon, and unwillingly, Itachi coughed as the air around them chilled even more with the night. He could see Sakura frowning from his peripheral before she stopped walking.

"Please don't try so hard to be strong. I don't want you to get sick," she chastised softly. But from her expression and her tone of voice, it was less of a warning than it was a note of concern. Before he could even process her actions properly, she had already unwound the thick scarf from her neck, and transferred it to his. Almost instantly, he felt warmer, and he murmured a quiet thank you.

She beamed up at him. "No problem, I've warm enough anyways!"

As she said this, she zipped up her coat to the tip of her throat, making up for the lost warmth. Truthfully told, Sakura was _freezing_. She probably would've felt better if it snowed, but in the area they were in, the only thing they got was a dry, biting sort of cold. And bite it did; she thought she could feel her skin cracking beneath her clothes, as the cold, frosty air nipped away at it. But this was important. Sakura vaguely remembered Ino saying once that support was important.

_If you want to _really _work out a relationship, Forehead, you gotta show support. Lots of it. In every way – and let me tell you, it's damn annoying, _Ino had said. Though the blonde had been quite drunk, Sakura was willing to take the advice. Drunk or not, Ino was still Konoha's resident Pretty Girl, and Sakura was willing to bet that all of Ino's digits together wouldn't be enough to count all the men she had dated.

When they finally reached the small gates ten minutes later, both were rather taken aback. Music and lights filled Sakura's senses as they neared the gate, and she peered up to the left to get a better view. _A festival?_ she thought. When she caught Itachi raising an eyebrow in her peripheral, she was sure he'd had the same thought. Their suspicions were confirmed when the guard grinned down at them.

"Here for Moya's mid-winter fest?" he said cheerily.

Sakura shook her head. "We were just planning to spend the night here. We had no idea there was a festival here."

"Well, you're in for a treat. We have the best umemboshi for hundreds of miles around," the guard winked. Sakura thought she felt Itachi tense up beside her, but shook it off as her imagination. She smiled back at the flirting guard.

"We'll be sure to try it," she replied. "Do you by chance know where we can find an inn?"

"Sure," he gestured vaguely behind him. "Down the main street, past the tea house, to the left. Only one in the village, can't miss it."

Sakura thanked him, and before her mind had fully processed her actions, she had already grabbed Itachi's hand as she proceeded down the main street. It was such a natural action to her in a festival atmosphere – Konoha's festivals were known for their abundant amount of participants, and if one didn't hold on tightly to their friends, getting separated was a guarantee. Therefore the large, calloused hand in her own felt rather natural until her senses finally returned to her when they reached the edge of the festivities.

She suddenly realized that it was not Naruto's or Sai's hand that she was holding so casually in her own. It was Itachi. Uchiha Itachi. Her gut reaction was to unclasp her fingers immediately. However, instead of the cold emptiness she had been expecting, the heat of Itachi's hand didn't disappear. Shocked as she was, Sakura glanced down at their still entwined hands and was even more flabbergasted to find that Itachi was clutching her own hand as desperately as she had been clinging to his.

Gingerly, she placed her fingers back within his.

They exchanged no other words as they ploughed through the crowd, gazing at all the different stalls. They were rather out of place, in their drab travel garb, but Sakura hardly noticed. There was something about being within such close proximity to Itachi that made her senses cease to function normally. It was intoxicating to an extent – she couldn't decide in that moment if it was good or bad.

On one hand, she barely noticed that she was so out of place. Amongst the beautiful winter yukata the women donned, she was a sore thumb. At home, though she would _never_ show it, this bothered her exceedingly. Normally, she took care to never make too much of a statement; her hair and personality did enough of that for her. But here, next to him, she found that she didn't care so much. Perhaps it was because she was unconsciously fearful for her survival, but she secretly chalked it up to his majestic presence. That was one thing amnesia couldn't take away from him – the fact that he could make the people around him feel awed just by being there. Sakura had felt it the first time she met him, and this time was no exception.

The inn in question came into view shortly, and Sakura breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing it. It was not, as she had feared, a dingy hole in the ground. It actually looked rather nice from the outside, decorated in tune with the festivities. Stringing lights hung from the awning, and several people were conversing lightly near the entrance. The interior was yet another surprise; it was even more nicely finished than the outside, furnished with a very modern style. Evidently, this little town was a lot wealthier than it looked.

The lady behind the counter was a pleasant old woman with hair graying around the edges. She smiled softly at Sakura and Itachi as they approached the counter.

"Hello there," she said. "How may I help you?"

"We'd like a room for the night," Sakura said. As soon as she said it however, she realized how she had worded it, and snuck a hesitant look up at Itachi. He was tense again, and she repressed the urge to sigh, patting him lightly on the arm. "It's okay if you don't want to share a room, I'll understand…"

Almost immediately, he shook his head sharply. Sakura hoped he didn't give himself whiplash with that one hard shake, but smiled despite herself. The receptionist's smile too, had gotten wider. "One room then," she said.

"One room," Sakura agreed.

After finishing with the necessities, Sakura thanked the woman and took the key. The little tag that hung from the keychain had a very elegant "520" written on it. Sakura communicated this to Itachi, but he was already leading them towards the staircase. At her puzzled glance, he shrugged lightly. "I saw the tag from my peripheral."

This threw Sakura back into perspective, reminding her yet again that even in this state, Uchiha Itachi was not someone to be taken lightly. Aware or not, he was still one of the most powerful shinobi in the world, and not for the first time since she began this impossible charade, she felt her heart sink. All it would take is one little mistake, and it would all go to hell. Amnesia was so unpredictable – research into the brain was still difficult and ill-developed – that Sakura really had no idea what might trigger the rest of his memories.

Instead of panicking, she told herself to suck it up.

There was an inaudible _click_ as the gears in the lock chipped together, and after opening the door, she ushered Itachi into the room. Her heart almost leapt at the sight of the room. It was absolutely stunning. As a shinobi, Sakura had already resigned herself to the fact that luxury was simply not in the cards for her. After being thrown from tree to tree, campsite to campsite and mouldy hotel to mouldy hotel, Sakura had come to think of her own, sparsely furnished one room apartment in Konoha as luxury. _This_ place however, redefined the word for her completely.

It was all she could do to refrain from shrieking in absolute delight.

Thankfully, Itachi seemed unaware of her sudden euphoria, for he was already on the other side of the spacious room, settling in. Sakura sobered up upon registering back to reality; she had a mission to complete, and tonight was going to be the first critical moment. Unfortunately, it was also her last chance to iron out all the details to a believable tale. A sedative should do just fine, a special blend concoction that left no trace in the victim's consciousness the next morning. The sedative wasn't the problem. The problem was again, Itachi himself.

Would such a powerful injection awaken his shinobi side and god forbid, his memories?

Sakura weighed this heavily as she joined Itachi. He had apparently already sized up everything in the room, and was now staring at her expectantly. Sakura returned a confused look, and didn't realize until a few more seconds had passed what the problem was.

"Oh," she blushed. "If you're uncomfortable sharing a bed, I'll just sleep on the couch…"

She tried her best to hide the fake look of disappointment. Before he could reply, Sakura continued, "You should get some rest right now, you're still recovering. I'm going to get some food, I'll be back soon, okay?"

He seemed to be contemplating something, before he replied hesitantly, "It's fine if you sleep on the bed."

Sakura was almost touched by his attempt at conciliation. "Are you sure?"

Itachi nodded stiffly. "It is a large bed."

Smiling, Sakura nodded her affirmation. "Alright then. I'll be back in a jiff."

Sakura didn't wait for his reaction as she slipped out of the door, shutting it gently behind her. Not daring to rush out suspiciously, she continued at a civilian pace until she was well out of range of the inn. Only then did she allow the tense breath she had kept locked within her loose. She had done it. _She had done it!_ She had found Uchiha Itachi, and had whisked him away. The elation died down as quickly as it came on as the realization sank in. _She had done it._

Of course, Sakura knew what had to come next. The original, hastily written missive had already been sent to Tsunade, but a lengthier one was overdue now that she actually had Itachi within her grasp. Thank god she had had the foresight to adequately prepare the cottage before storming her way to Itachi's rumoured location. Although it had been a hack job at best, she figured she could blame the sorry state of their home on her apparent month-long search for his missing self. _Hopefully_ it would be enough to convince the innately suspicious man of a life that seemed so blatantly impossible in Sakura's mind.

Suddenly morose, Sakura chastised herself for thinking that way. Kakashi had once taught her that the first rule to lying was believing in the lie. If the liar didn't believe in the tale being spun, then no matter how wonderfully told, the lie had no merit. It would help nothing to lose her cool now – if anything, this was _the_ mission of her life. Calming her breath, she quickened her pace towards the festival. The sooner she got hold of something she could covertly spike with the sedative, the sooner he would pass out and the sooner she could begin with her missive.

The first stall to catch her attention was perfect for her purpose. Dainty lights decorated the small booth where a girl no older than herself stood, smiling as she served the customers gathered around her. _Fresh juice?_ Sakura squinted, and was delighted to find that she was correct. Strolling to the stall, Sakura wondered momentarily what Itachi's favourite fruit was. _What if he remembers it and I get it wrong?_ It was a depressing thought to follow the ones she had just banished from her mind.

"How many I help you?"

Sakura blinked, not realizing she was next in line. "Oh, " she started, hesitating. "…One peach and one mango."

"Coming right up!"

Less than two minutes later, the smiling girl handed Sakura two plastic cups. "Here you go, miss! Enjoy."

Sakura beamed back as she traded over some Ryo for the drinks. It was more than the drinks had cost, but Sakura had no time to waste. After picking some gyozas at the next stand, Sakura started back towards the inn. When she neared it, she dipped behind another building and out of sight. With the drinks in one hand and the sedative in the other, Sakura hesitated. She moved to spike the mango one, for she had bought the peach for herself but paused. Maybe she should spike both, just to be safe?

Realizing that she had dallied too long already, Sakura decided to go with the latter, although, as she spiked both drinks, she couldn't stop the slight pang of remorse. The peach smoothie had sounded rather good after the long day she had had.

In another three minutes, she had slipped back into the inn, and was about to enter their room when she hesitated. For good measure, she slapped her cheeks twice, silently, to hopefully give the impression of a cold, tired civilian girl. With her cover as best as she could possibly make it in the moment, Sakura pushed the door open gently, a smile ready to disarm on her face.

It was nothing if not anticlimactic as she entered the room to find Itachi sitting at the table, quietly perusing the newspaper. His reaction to her entrance was definitely quicker than any civilian's, and for a second, her heart shuddered as the possibility of his memories returning seized her. But then Itachi offered her a tentative, tiny, _tiny_ smile, and she knew she was safe. For now.

"Here," she said, still smiling. She wondered briefly how much she could smile before her lips officially gave up. "I bought us some smoothies. Peach and mango."

As covertly as possibly, she held both drinks at such an angle that she could have been offering either one. To her surprise and somewhat relief, Itachi reached for the peach immediately, without the slightest hesitation. Relief that she had spiked the peach one as well, and some unexplained irritation that they obviously shared the same taste in fruits. If he noticed her ambiguous offering, he mentioned nothing of it as he murmured a thanks.

Sakura tried to hide the anticipation on her face as she waited for him to down the drink, and to avoid suspicion, she picked up the half of the newspaper that he had already finished.

Seven minutes later, Itachi's eyelids finally began to droop and within seconds after that, he pitched forward onto the table, fully unconscious. Before his head could hit the wood, though, Sakura reached out and caught it, and gingerly, she lifted him and carried him over to the bed. With Itachi firmly tucked in, Sakura returned to the table with her pen and paper, sat down, and began to write her first progress report to Tsunade. The use of level 4 encryption was never her forte, but using anything less than level 4 would surely warrant an angry Tsunade. It consoled her that she didn't have much to say, only that everything had gone according to plan and that they'd be 'home' by tomorrow.

When she realized that the first sentence had taken her well over three minutes, Sakura sighed. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Goodbye!" Sakura waved to the guard at the gate, who looked about half asleep. The man waved back cheerily, but Sakura was already looking away, back at the road ahead of them. Now that they were closer, Sakura could feel the beginnings of what she could only describe as stage fright hitting her. It wasn't a foreign feeling – she often felt this way before a mission where she had to "perform" and act as another person. It would go away once she fell into the comfort of the role. It always did.

"We'll be home really soon!" She informed him with as much cheer as she could muster.

When Itachi didn't reply, Sakura fought to suppress a sigh. She'd gone into this mission with no expectations. Or rather, she'd tried her damnest to have no expectations in her mind. But it was hard to reverse the habits of her youth; most of the time, she still had a foolish, wishful attitude of hoping for the best. So it had been nearly impossible to squish the tiny particle of hope in her mind that hoped for a pleasant, easy to get along with Itachi.

At the very least, she'd hoped that he would at least _talk_.

"How did we meet?"

Sakura blinked. She had scarcely thought her last thought when Itachi's voice broke their unbidden silence.

"Oh, uhm," she stuttered, having been caught off guard. "Four years ago. It was winter. At that time, I was still living with the people my mother had entrusted me to, in a village called Kanna, which is about two week's travel from here. You'd arrived with a band of travelling merchants. Although you intrigued me at first sight, we didn't really have any business with each other, and I figured that I'd probably never have an opportunity to meet you, so I just shrugged off the idea."

Sakura pause when she realized she was as good as rambling on nonsensically. As far as storytelling went, Sakura had never been the most creative. There was a pensive expression on Itachi's face though, so unique that it even piqued Sakura's curiosity. "Why?" he asked quietly. "Was I that unapproachable?"

_Eh_? Sakura thought. _When did I say anything about him being unapproachable?_ Quickly, she raised her hands in objection. "No no, nothing like that. It's just I was a young girl, twelve at the time, working for my caretakers. I had no business talking with strangers, much less travelling merchants."

"Something must have happened, then, for us to end up here, today."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. Something _did_ happen." Sakura let the silence soak through the air between them as her mind whirled for a pretty tale. In truth it didn't take much effort, because the beginnings of the story she had already told was almost identical to a childhood, romantic fantasy of hers. She'd had years to hone that story, though those years had probably given it a very cheesy edge.

Before she could elaborate, Itachi continued. "You said you were with your caretakers…the people your mother had entrusted you to," he paused awkwardly, uncomfortable with the territory he was trekking into. "What of your family?"

At this, the smile dropped from Sakura's face. _At least this won't have to be a lie, _she thought nostalgically. "My parents are dead, and I was an only child."

Suddenly, Sakura's words from their first meeting rang through his ears, and Itachi suddenly felt awfully guilty. _You're all I have left_, she'd said in all desperation. And though he couldn't remember anything to backup her statements, there seemed a genuine loneliness and sadness about her that made his heart ache.

Saying _I'm sorry_ seemed like the cheapest comment, so Itachi did the next best thing and moved on. "My family too, then? All dead?"

"Oh. You don't- They'e…Uhm," Sakura stuttered. Finally her mind seemed to settle on something. "You don't like to talk about them. It took you nearly a year to tell me anything about them," she smiled up at him then, a little sadly. "There's a lot of memories and history that you'd probably like to be filled in on. So let's just take it slowly, one step at a time, okay? I don't want you to be overwhelmed by all this."

There was genuine heartache in her tone, as she thought of the real Itachi's story. It was tragic, more so than anything she had ever seen or heard of in her lifetime. The Itachi next to her sensed the agony beneath her words, and just nodded, but her reaction had planted something within him, a seed of morbid curiosity that wouldn't be sated until he'd heard the tale. But did he really want to, knowing the anguish that probably awaited him at the end of this path?

"In any case, we have our whole lives ahead of us," Sakura beamed. "And who knows? You might event start remembering things as I tell them to you."

_Freaking hopefully no time soon, _Sakura thought as her happy words slipped through her lips.

"Yes," Itachi agreed quietly.

"Where was I?" Sakura quipped. "Right. Your arrival at Kanna. Well, you and your people were supposed to leave within two weeks, as you were travelling the entire country. But fate's not something to be trifled with, eh?"

There was a twinkle in her eye as she said this, and Itachi caught it for a moment before she turned away again. "Some awful weather hit that part of the country. Snowstorms and ice-storms unfit for humans to be in. It was impossible for you guys to go anywhere. Kanna's pretty north. In the worst winters, it could take months before it truly thaws again."

"So there an opportunity blossomed."

Quite surprisingly, Sakura laughed despite herself at his deadpan expression and tone. "Yes, but not quite so poetically. We're not very poetic people. Or at least, _I'm _not."

"So how long did we end up staying for?"

"Your merchant group stayed for a month and a half," Sakura paused, and turned her shining emeralds on him suddenly. There was something cheeky in her eyes, and with a grin, she said, "But _you_, Itachi, you didn't leave. Not until a year after, taking me with you."

There was something in the way she'd said it, something in her tone and in her eyes that suggested how precious she was to him. How important she would have been, should still be. It was almost like a challenge, the way she'd recited it, as if challenging him to repeat himself, to rediscover what he'd already once experienced.

"No," Itachi replied, gesturing towards the two of them, a small smile playing on his lips. "I guess I didn't."

His quip surprised Sakura, but relaxed her. _This is quite fun,_ Sakura thought to herself, oddly mirthful despite the situation. This Itachi didn't seem half bad, and getting to recite her fairy-tale made it seem almost real, almost possible in reality. Who knows? Maybe she would even enjoy the time she would have to spend on this mission, rehabilitating him. _Brainwashing, more like it_, a deep part of her consciousness tugged. The ethical part that she'd neatly stowed away when commencing with this mission.

Suddenly, Sakura was aware of her surroundings, and it was as if the cottage had appeared out of nowhere. On the path directly before them was their home, and as it was also Sakura's first time seeing it, she was caught completely off-guard. At a certain point, she had nursed worries about what this place would be like. She _had_ been telling Itachi all along what a great place it was and how much they both loved it. But seeing it warmed Sakura's heart and quelled her worries. The small building was nothing short of heart-warming, as it resembled in Sakura's mind every bit the romantic hideaway she'd always dreamt of.

A small and cozy wooden building with frosted windows, surrounded by looming trees and grass and flowers greeted them. Sakura wanted to coo at the sight of it, but refrained. Instead, she turned to Itachi, a huge smile on her face.

"Welcome home, Itachi!"

* * *

**a/n: **_I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Leave me a quick note if you liked it, it'll make my day ;)_

_on a side note, lyrics at the top are taken from _stay still_ by _blessthefall.


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